


How It Began

by TheConfusedTissue



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, The Director is a dick, a little out of character behavior, carolina deserves better, characters as mythical creatures, plot is similar. but also really different
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22826983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheConfusedTissue/pseuds/TheConfusedTissue
Summary: King Leonard Church hasn't lost everything, but that won't stop him from destroying what he has left. By recruiting an elite group of soldiers, he will avenge his wife's death, or die trying.Alternative Summary: This is a fantasy AU of RvB that is not centered around the Director, who is now a king, but will rather hop back and forth between which character's eyes we will be seeing this play out through.
Relationships: Agent Carolina/Agent York (Red vs. Blue)
Kudos: 4





	1. Background Information

Our story takes place in the realm of Freelancer, a kingdom shared by not just humans, but also many races and breeds of mythical creatures. The diverse population is what gives it strength. Normal kingdoms are easy to plan against, since most (if not all) of their soldiers are humans, or orcs, or elves, ect. But this kingdom? Good luck coming up with a strategy that encompasses all races. Do you fight head on, or from a distance, or maybe both? The minotaurs, orcs, humans, and many other creatures will be there to fight your soldiers face to face, and the elves, human archers, and other races will be there to attack from a distance. That, and there's flying creatures ranging from faeries to harpies that you would have to worry about. 

Added to the strong military might, King Leonard Church and queen Allison Church were strong rulers. The queen was more of a fighter, hence why she was often on the battlefield, and used her vampiric abilities well. It was here that she was slain, fighting alongside her soldiers, and it was here that many claim the king lost himself. He ignored his daughter, princess Carolina Church, and set his army off on a crusade against the Insurrectionist kingdom to exact revenge upon them for slaying his wife. He requested each dutchery send their best soldier to him in order to make up an elite squadron of soldiers whom he called the Freelancers. All of his elites have been given a code name based off of the land owned by the Dukes and Duchesses whom he requested they were sent by. David the elf came from Washington, everyone's favorite (and only) elite human soldier came from York, and so on so forth. The twins are an exception, both coming from the same dutchery. The duke of Dakota could not choose between the two and their completely different set of skills, so he sent them both. Due to the stark contrast in their abilities and behaviors, the two were called North and South Dakota. The king's daughter, who had inherited her vampirism from her mother, joined his elite soldiers in a quest for revenge, and to earn her father’s attention by proving herself to be more than just the byproduct of his dead lover. While his adviser, the Counselor, had suggested against this, the king had allowed his daughter to join. Why would he not provide a soldier from his own dutchery? 

Carolina clenched her fists as she walked away from the throne room, her naturally green eyes turning redder than her hair with anger. She had hoped that she would need to convince her father to allow her to become one of his elite soldiers, but he had just nodded and accepted her proposal. Even with the Counselor arguing against it, he hadn't even taken the time to consider that he would be sending his own daughter to war. This was exactly what she had wanted to happen, just not in this way. Was that damn fool still blinded by the queen's death? Some would say that it was harsh of her to judge him this way in such a short time after the tragedy, but Queen Allison was not just his wife. She was also a mother, and as such, Carolina had been devastated by the information. She had sought the comfort of her father, a thing that she rarely did, only to be dismissed like she was a peasant looking to gain a knighthood because he had killed a bandit. She gave him two days to grieve, knowing that the loss had affected her father deeply, only to be cast out again. After that, Carolina was done with trying to coax him into noticing her. If he was going to ignore his own daughter, then she was going to force him to acknowledge her presence. Each and every thing that she did, from expertly dealing with nobles to joining his elite soldiers, was to get his damn attention. That, and it would be a welcome change if she could take matters into her own hands. Many had assumed that she was a delicate flower simply because she was a princess, but like her mother before her, Carolina was a force to be reckoned with. She could easily take on 6 of the palace guards when she was just a girl, and her mother had often pitted her against them as training. She didn't kill any of them, but that's not to say that she hasn't killed before. As a vampire, Carolina has had her fair share of blood, often times dining on prisoners who were sentenced to death for committing atrocious crimes, and occasionally killing a would be assassin that had slipped into the palace. Still, despite this, most people ignored what should have been a fierce reputation because of her royal blood.

She passes by the portrait of her uncle, a man whom she had never met named Epsilon Church, and pauses. She glances back at him, her brows furrowing. Her mother had told her a few stories of him as a child, yet her father had always sternly dropped the subject whenever it was brought up. Epsilon was Leonard's twin brother, older than him by nearly half an hour, and would have inherited the throne if he had not met his untimely death by poisoning. Perhaps she should look into his past, see what she could dig up about this deceased relative. If her father hates discussing him, surely there will be something in the records that she could use to her advantage. Maybe she should just bring him up to her dad and see how he reacts... Carolina shakes her head, deciding against using that idea at all. Her uncle is dead, and if Carolina wants to get the attention she deserves, she won't do it by manipulating her father and discussing yet another dead relative who he hasn't gotten over yet at the dinner table. It would be best if she forgot about this plan entirely and focus on what really matters: Making sure that she can earn her place on the elite team. 


	2. The Tournament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soon to be York hears about an opportunity that he does not want to pass up.

When king Leonard had requested each dutchery to send forth their greatest warrior, he hadn't specified how to do it. Many of the dukes and duchesses had chosen their strongest soldier, while others had simply sent forth their favorite knight. In the case of the duke of York, he had held a tournament for anyone who was willing to join. This is how James, a young human without a day of a military career under his belt, had ended up in the waiting area of the arena. He was skilled with a sword, but daggers were more of his thing, given that he had made a living being a rogue. He only stole what he needed (and sometimes wanted), and wanted more out of life than thievery could get him. So when James heard about an opportunity to become an elite soldier under direct order of the king, you could say he was a little interested... Okay, a lot interested. This was a chance to turn his life around, to become a hero, to finally not work in such a dark career. 

Of course, that meant he would have to get past the 50 or so other participants in this tournament, many of whom were actual soldiers. James looked around at the others, assessing who would be the biggest threat, and then shrugged. Overthinking things won't help, so he might as well let things be. If he just so happens to disappear in the arena only to pop back up again behind someone, swiftly ending their chances in the tournament, so be it.He adjusts the leather armor provided by the duke for all of those without any, then walks into the arena. Glancing around at the competition, he sees that he's one of the only humans here. Seems reasonable enough, given that his kind isn't known for their strength or supernatural capabilities. He can easily use this to his advantage, as most people will underestimate him. James grins as he walks into the stadium; This will be a piece of cake. 

The duke steps out onto a podium in the stands, speaking loudly. "I have held this tournament to find the greatest warrior in my dutchery, be they one of my esteemed soldiers, or a humble farmer. Though you all know that already, don't you?" He pauses, listening to a few of the nobles chuckle approvingly before he continues his speech. "The winner of this competition will have the honor of becoming an elite soldier directly under the leadership of king Leonard, staying on the grounds of his very own castle. In order to win, you must be the last person standing. The rules are as follows: No killing, no dismembering, and no attacking the viewers. You disqualify someone by leaving them unconscious. Other than that, anything goes!" 

The crowd cheers, and many of the contestants raise their shields and weapons into the air as they loudly shout. James grins, lifting his sword and leaving the dagger inside of it's scabbard. He lets out his own preemptive whoop of triumph before lowering it once more, looking around at the other contestants. While most look as excited as he feels, others seem out of their element. The peasants, mostly, but one or two guards and soldiers as well. There's only two knights here, who James knows will be targeted first because of their expected level of skill. Meanwhile, him and his borrowed leather armor and somewhat dented blades will be ignored. People typically underestimate him because he's a human, and given the competition, he knows he'll be overlooked. 

The duke waits for the cheers to die down before continuing. "I wish you all luck, and may the best warrior win!"

A horn is blown, and the coliseum turns into a bloody free for all. James backs up, parrying a blade that was swung randomly in his direction before running behind a wooden column. It doesn't provide much cover, but in the chaos, hardly anyone would spare an extra second to search for someone lurking in the shadows. He pokes his head out from behind the column, seeing that a sizable amount of would-be warriors have already been rendered unconscious, while many others are being beaten to a bloody pulp. The knights seem to be working together, fighting back to back to fend off the people trying to gang up on them. An orc charges through, slamming into one of the knights and knocking him back. While he recovers from this and is able to dodge another attack, this leaves his partner's backside undefended, and they soon fall to an unseen farmer with a rake. James grimaces, imagining how embarrassing that's going to be when the highly esteemed knight's buddies ask who stopped him from winning the tournament. James leans back behind his cover, not wanting to risk sticking his head out in the open for too long. He's barely there for a minute longer when a blade is swung at him. He ducks, the tip of the sword cutting into the column where his head was. 

"Hey! What happened to non killing?" James kicks the soldier back, grabbing the hilt of the sword and yanking it out of the wall. He then swings at them, the blade clashing with their wooden shield. He lets go of it, lashing out with his original sword and cutting open his opponent's leg. They shout, stumbling back, and her punches the side of their head. Their body crumples, falling to the ground only to be replaced by another opponent. She sneers at James, dual wielding short and curved blades. He raises an eyebrow, then steps back and parries a blow of hers. She's far faster than the other opponent, and he's kept on his toes throughout the fight. Dodge, block, attack, duck and leap to the side, parry, step back, swing again, dodge. They move around the outskirts of the arena in a dance of combat, her fighting style almost too offensive for him to attack back. However, one lucky blow gets through, and he manages to slice a line from her elbow up to her shoulder. She cries out in pain, and he pushes his advantage, kicking her square in the chest and sending her into another opponent. It just so happens to be the knight from earlier who was rammed into by the orc, who mistakes her stumbling into him for a weary attack and swiftly knocks her out. James gives him a halfhearted salute. "Thanks for the save!"

"What are you t-?" The knight is cut off by one of his previous opponents slamming a heavy club into the back of his helmet. He stumbles, falling to the side as they hit him again. In the midst of them beating the shit out of the already downed knight, a woman without weapons runs up and puts them in a choke hold. James eyes widen, and he quickly looks around to see if there was anyone sneaking up on him. As it turns out, there is somebody. A dwarf holding a two-handed ax is charging at him after just finishing up a different opponent. James sidesteps, bringing up his sword just in time to block what would have been a horrendous blow. The unarmed woman has finished choking out the man with the club, and is now facing him and the dwarf. They're the last two competitors left, and the crowd is watching adamantly to see who will emerge victorious. The woman sprints at him, her hands clenched into fists. He dodges, only to be met with a swing of the dwarf's ax. He tries to push back and shove away the dwarf, but the woman punches his ribs. He curses, clenching his teeth as he turns to face her only for the dwarf to attack. He backs up, but the tip of the ax still grazes his arm and leaves a thin yet deep cut behind. This isn't going to end well with the way things are going. Maybe he should just be happy that he came this far. I mean, third place in a free for all battle arena isn't that bad. 

.... Then again, this is a winner take all competition, and there are no consolation prizes. Losing would mean that he came all this way for nothing, got his ass kicked for nothing, and James can't accept that. He turns, punching the dwarf in the throat. The beard cushions the blow slightly, but not enough to save the man from sputtering out a dwarfish curse and choking. The woman tries to wrap her arms around James' throat from behind, but he's ready for her. His hand is already there, blocking her attack. He grabs her wrist, flipping her over his shoulder and slamming her into the ground. He slams the hilt of his sword into her head, knocking her out. As he's standing back up straight, the dwarf rams into his side, tackling James and sending them both to the ground. The crowd shouts approvingly, his hand fumbling around in the dirt as he attempts to find where his sword has gone to. The dwarf raises his ax, ready to cut into the human below him. "Yield!!" 

"Hell no!" James pulls the dagger out of the scabbard, cutting into the dwarf's hand. The small man shouts, sitting up and clutching it. James grabs his shoulders, flipping the dwarf over and pinning him down. The crowd cheers as he starts punching, only stopping once his last opponent has fallen still beneath him. He takes a moment to look him over, making sure that he isn't faking before he stands up. He raises a fist, basking in the admiration of those who watched him. He doubts that any of them saw him hiding, otherwise he wouldn't be getting so much praise, but that hardly matters. They see a winner, and he won fairly. Plus, that reward of staying on the grounds of the king's very own castle is looking pretty good right about now. Oh yeah, and the title "Greatest warrior of York" sounds just about as good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, second chapter is up! Leave a comment, whether it is praise or criticism.


	3. Travelling Buddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Washington meets someone on his journey to the castle.

Washington walked down the road with a grin on his face. Despite the hot midday sun, his stride had an extra bit of pep in every step that he took. He couldn't help but be excited, having just won the honor to serve the king directly as an elite soldier. He didn't even know about the position until it was given to him. The look on his family's face after they found out as well was priceless. Wash knew he was a good fighter, but the greatest warrior in his uncle's dutchery?.... Okay, that thought removed a bit of the excitement. Wash slows down as his thoughts start to turn to other things. Did his parents pull some strings to get him here? As the only male child out of his siblings, he was pushed to bring more prestige to their name, so it wasn't uncommon for them to interfere in certain matters, but that wasn't what Washington wanted. He had been ecstatic upon hearing the news, thinking that he had finally earned something, but now? The thought of being here due to an unfair advantage is almost enough to make him turn back. 

Almost. He doesn't feel good about pushing forwards, but he definitely can't handle having to tell his parents why, so he's just going to keep going. Besides, Washington might be able to earn his right to this title. What exactly will do that, he's not sure, but it'll be achieved through hard work and a lot of training. 

With that being said, his walk picks up speed and regains his previously mentioned pep as his excitement returns. Almost 10 minutes pass before he comes up on another person traveling on the road. She's going the same direction as him, but not traveling as quickly.

Washingron speeds up a little more, then slows down once he's walking besides her. "Hey, I'm Da-.. Washington, I mean." 

"You're one of the elites, aren't you?" She tilts her head in his direction, her face covered by the brown hooded cloak she wears. 

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He tries to subtly lean forward and get a better look at her features. 

"You used a dutchery as your name." She stops, holding her hand out to him. "I'm Connecticut."

"You're an elite too?" Washington eagerly shakes her hand. Now that she's facing him, he's able to discern some of her features. She has short brown hair, shaved on one side in a familiar fashion to a traditional orc style, but it suits her well. Her face is slightly rounded, with soft features and warm brown eyes, but she seems more serious than playful. Her cloak and hood cover most of her body, but he can see part of a brown blouse and grey pants. Connecticut nods, prompting a smile from the young elf. "Could we travel together?" 

She opens her mouth to decline, but closes it again and purses her lips. After a moment of consideration, she nods and resumes walking. "I don't see why not." 

"Great! Where do you come from?" She raises an eyebrow at Wash, and he responds by sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and following her. "Oh, right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this took so long to post, but I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a comment.


	4. New Place, Not Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CT settles in.

They weren't the first people to arrive, but they weren't the last. Connecticut had endured listening to the over excited elf talk, and had even enjoyed most of it, but she was glad to be able to slink off on her own. Upon entering her room, she had set her backs down on the floor and immediately went to work searching for spells or hidden charms that would have been placed on her supposedly private space. It was tiring work, but she managed to find two magical enchantments: One on her door that kept it from breaking, probably in the case of the castle being attacked, and another on her window that kept the draft out. Neither of which would allow the king to spy on her, nor inform anyone if she was to make any adjustments of her own. 

CT looks at the fern centerpiece on her dresser, then opens her satchel. She finds what she's looking for, and takes out the small wooden charm barely larger than a gold coin. Brushing aside some of the dirt, she places it inside of the pot, covers it with dirt, and then rearranges the ferns leaves to make it look less inconspicuous. With that out of the way, she begins to mumble in arcane as she retrieves a dagger from her satchel. Still muttering, she pricks her thumb with the dagger, then carves a few small indents into the windowsill. Once done she silences her voice, and all marks in the wood disappear, taking away the visible evidence of her percaution. 

After setting up a few more things (runes, charms, spells), CT unpacks her bags and officially settles in. She doesn't have much on her, just some potion ingredients, a few books, her clothes, and a bag of ashes. The last item listed used to be a letter, but its contents are only important to her now. Well, that's not true, but it's not like she would reveal it to them anyways. 

Secrecy is a big part of her mission, after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically just to establish CT's roll in this story, along with showcase some of her abilities. I'm sorry for how short it is, but I'll post again soon!


End file.
